Saturday, February 13, 2010

I'm so sweet

It's true! Well it's true, but maybe that statement is a little misleading. The fact is that my body apparently missed the 40 year tune-up, and now, at a little over 47 years it's kicking my ass. :o) There are a lot of jokes and cliches out there regarding aging, getting older, approaching death, being over the hill, etc. I lived a good 40 years before I believed that our bodies do, eventually, begin to fail us. Up until 40, things were pretty good. I had the RSD thing with my hand, but that seemed to be under control; depression runs in the family and had finally run into me, but that too was under control. Once I was a few years past 40 though, I hit the wall. Oy! Hypothyroidism, high cholesterol, insomnia, hot flashes, pre-menopause. It seemed as though parts were beginning to wear out and flat out rebel. I ignored what I could and treated what I had to. That's cool....selective medical treatment by a former RN. (We are the worst patients.) Now, it seems I have acquired Diabetes Type 2. Are you flipping kidding me? Yep. What was insulin resistance a few years ago is now full blown Diabetes, basically a huge fuck you from my home grown insulin. It's there, and it may even be enough quantity wise, it's just slightly dysfunctional. Bahahaha, what a surprise. Thankfully, that RN thing I used to do helped me come to the diabetic conclusion before it became life-threatening. I won't go into the numbers and stuff, let me just say that after a very life-like dream I checked my own fasting blood sugar, found it dangerously high, and called my doctor. After 2 more blood tests he concluded I am diabetic, gave me the pills, the rules, the warnings, and another appointment. I do feel better with the medication on board, but I have a lot of learning to do. A sad fact of life is that RNs can be very good at observing, treating, caring and teaching, but we have to learn the same way everyone else does. I'm finding that I now must snack between meals, and I absolutely must eat 3 meals a day. This alone is tough for me, as I am the champ of "drink coffee all day, eat only at dinner", and then only if I remember. Diabetes can't be controlled like that. Consistency is key. It's okay though, I'll learn, and I'll manage. This really ain't nothin' but a thing. I'm good at managing things, or so I've been told. For now, I have a new tech toy ~ a glucometer, a lot of new log books, some new dietary habits, and I need to get new bling. I will have to wear some kind of diabetic medical alert jewelry. (Wow, some girls will do anything for new jewelry!) Look at it this way, all those jewelry giving occasions...no more wondering what to get Pearl, if it says "DIABETIC ON BOARD" it's a good fit. :o)Happy Sugar Free Valentine's Day everyone!